Business leaders back the UK Government’s Small Business Plan

Business leaders from across business representative organisations, small and large businesses have endorsed the launch of the UK Government's new Small Business Plan.

Small businesses across the UK will benefit from the most comprehensive support package in a generation. From faster payments and easier access to finance, to cutting red tape and launching a new Business Growth Service, we're backing businesses to thrive.

Business Groups Policy Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Tina McKenzie, said: 

Making sure businesses are paid on time, that our high streets thrive, and creating conditions in which everyone can start and succeed in business are crucial priorities for small businesses, communities and the economy. It's very welcome that the Prime Minister has today made them his Government's priorities. 

I'm pleased that FSB and the Government have been able to work in lockstep on the bold and ambitious measures needed to tackle the scourge of late payment through legislation, and other pro-growth, pro-small business measures.  

Today's plan is an encouraging commitment from the Government to take the side of small businesses in the great growth challenge ahead. 

Michelle Ovens CBE, Founder, Small Business Britain, said:  

I am thrilled to see the Small Business Plan launched today, putting the nation's smallest businesses at the heart of Government strategy where it should be. These job creators and economy builders will benefit from a huge boost to funding through the British Business Bank, a boost to skills, support for high streets and a long hoped for legislative backing for getting paid on time. We will not see economic growth without small business growth, so I am eager to get on and help the Government deliver on this agenda - and help small businesses regardless of their background start, grow and thrive. 

Daniel Woolf, Enterprise Nation's Head of Policy & Government Relations, said: 

We welcome the Government's new Small Business Plan as a serious attempt to reset the relationship between small firms and Government. Many of the commitments like digital adoption and access to affordable finance reflect the everyday challenges our members experience, and several directly align with recommendations Enterprise Nation has set out in recent policy work.   

We're particularly pleased to see a comprehensive approach to late payment reform, including shorter payment terms and stronger enforcement through the Small Business Commissioner. 90-day payment terms stop small businesses from investing and growing. 

This is a strong foundation. Enterprise Nation looks forward to working with government to help ensure these policy ambitions turn into measurable outcomes for small businesses across the UK.  

Philip Salter, Founder of The Entrepreneurs Network, said: 

Small businesses are where opportunity begins – new jobs, new skills and new ideas. Practical help, such as being paid on time, easy access to advice and finance, and less administrative burden, makes a real difference. 

In a world where online banking, accounting software and e-invoicing exist, it's completely unacceptable that so many burgeoning startups see their growth stall due to late payments. At its worst, they can send perfectly good businesses to the wall – leaving Britain's economy less dynamic and competitive. Founders in our network will hope the measures outlined today mean it is the beginning of the end for late payments.  

Fiona Graham, Chief Operating Officer for Family Business UK said:  

Family Business UK welcomes today's publication of the Small Business Plan as a positive step towards creating a fairer and more resilient environment for small family-run firms.  We are pleased to see many of the areas highlighted by our members addressed in this plan. 

Family businesses make up over 85% of all private sector firms in the UK and are deeply rooted in their communities. But like many small businesses, they are held back by red tape and limited access to finance and support – challenges that this plan rightly seeks to address. 

The announcement of a Business Growth Service will give small family-run businesses the tools they need to grow, scale up and expand into international markets, as well as streamlining essential advice and support into one national platform. This will give small businesses peace of mind that support is readily available and easily accessible when they are looking to invest and grow. 

We look forward to continuing to support small businesses as the initiatives in this plan are developed and rolled out.  We are also committed to working with DBT in the development of a future strategy to ensure that mid-sized businesses are also getting the bespoke support they need. 

Liz Barclay, IoD Special Advisor for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and former Small Business Commissioner, said: 

We welcome this commitment to ensuring that small businesses are paid on time and that larger suppliers are prevented from imposing unfair contractual payment terms beyond 60 days. This will give small and micro firms the certainty they need to invest, increase productivity, and grow.   

We look forward to working with the government as the legislation takes shape, ensuring that there are no unintended consequences for businesses.  

Stephen Phipson, Chief Executive Officer, Make UK, said: 

Manufacturers across the country will welcome the Government's decisive action to tackle late payments. For too long, delayed invoices have drained cashflow, delayed innovation, and damaged businesses, particularly the thousands of small and medium-sized firms for whom late payments are one of the most consistent challenges to their survival and success. 

Today's announcement rightly recognises that supporting manufacturing SMEs is essential to unlocking wider economic growth. The introduction of the toughest late payment laws in the G7 sends a clear signal that poor payment practices will no longer be tolerated. 

These reforms, combined with new powers for the Small Business Commissioner, will help create a culture of fairness and accountability across supply chains. Coupled with real enforcement, this Small Business Plan will give manufacturers the confidence and certainty they need to innovate, grow, and create even more high-skill, high-paying jobs in the UK. 

Alan Vallance, ICAEW Chief Executive, said:  

The UK's economy is made up of small businesses, with 99 per cent of the total business population, two-fifths of all private sector employment and over half of the nation's business turnover. Small businesses are key to growth, and it's important that they can operate in the best environment to propel them into the business stars of the future, creating more growth, employment and prosperity for all parts of the UK. 

Chartered accountants are central to this story. As trusted business advisers, they provide expertise and acumen to allow small businesses to thrive and scale up, and often set up small businesses of their own. About 80 per cent of chartered accountancy firms are small businesses themselves, employing four employees or fewer. 

The publication of the Small Business Strategy is an important development to help small businesses realise their potential. With its ambition on entrepreneurship, business advice, late payments and export potential, as well as its close links to the UK Modern Industrial Strategy and Professional and Business Services Sector Plan, it is clear that chartered accountants will make a strong contribution to its success. 

Kate Nicholls, Chair of UKHospitality, said:  

We welcome the Government's Small Business Plan and the steps that it has put forward to support SMEs across the UK. The wider measures announced today on late payments and access to additional finance sit alongside a raft of new licensing measures that will slash red tape and support the hospitality sector, making it easier to open and operate hospitality venues, create jobs and grow the economy. 

I'm personally very happy to have worked with Government to move us toward a new and improved licensing system that includes modernised planning and licensing rules, hospitality zones, and protections for existing venues. These can provide a real boost to the nation's pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels. 

We've worked on some of these issues for more than two decades so we now need swift implementation, while we keep up the momentum on outstanding issues, to deliver a bold, long term plan for the high streets and hospitality. 

Vicks Rodwell, Managing Director at IPSE, The Self-Employed Association, said: 

Late payments can force freelancers out of business, but obscenely long payment terms for work can put just as much of a strain on the self-employed. It's hugely encouraging that the Prime Minister is determined to tackle both these issues with the measures in today's plan” 

It's not right that freelancers can fall behind on their own bills, and even into debt, whilst the money they've earned sits in a bank account for months on end. 

By clamping down on late invoices and long payment terms, government can tear down one of the biggest barriers to growth for freelancers and sole traders. 

Millie Kendall MBE, CEO of British Beauty Council, said:  

The beauty industry - encompassing hair, beauty, nails, barbering, spa and wellness - is made up of 95% small businesses and 78% micro-businesses, contributing more than £30bn to the UK GDP. The British Beauty Council welcomes the Government's Small Business Plan which sees policy-makers put our businesses first. For years, the beauty sector has faced unique challenges when it comes to growth, this plan is a much needed step towards ensuring our industry - which bolsters social mobility and opportunities for underrepresented communities - can sustain growth. 

Small Businesses  Elizabeth Vega OBE DUniv, Group CEO, Informed Solutions: 

This Small Business Plan is the strongest and clearest we've seen in over a decade. It is a compelling way forward for the UK's economy. 

The Strategy reflects a truly collegiate and collaborative effort between government, policy experts, and the over 1,000 SMEs that contributed. 

Having advocated for SME policy that supports economic growth and resilience for over 15 years, it's been a pleasure to work alongside Minister Gareth Thomas, DBT policy teams, and the Small Business Growth Forum to shape a strategy with clear aims, ambitious objectives, and a holistic integrated approach to policy development. 

I'm excited to now turn the shared ambitions in this Strategy into action, helping realise the UK's full economic potential through SME growth and international trade. 

Simon Groom, CEO of MagnifyB, said:  

MagnifyB welcomes the UK Government's action to tackle late payments, which will give small businesses the cash flow stability they need to thrive. Alongside this, there is a clear need to provide micro and small businesses with far more than just a repository of information, including a practical digital toolset to strengthen their operations and improve their chances of long-term success. We hope that the new Small Business Commissioner can be instrumental in bringing together ideas and championing the initiatives needed to make this support a reality. 

Julianne Ponan MBE, Founder of Creative Nature, a small business that exports top 14 Allergen Free Baking Mixes and Snacks to 16 countries, said:  

I'm delighted to see the government's new SME Strategy recognising the critical role small businesses play both at home and globally. 

From tackling late payments to simplifying access to growth advice and support, these measures are a lifeline for SMEs like mine who often face disproportionate challenges with limited resources. 

I'm especially encouraged by the commitment to reduce administrative burdens by 25% and improve access to finance both are major barriers to growth for underrepresented founders, including women and ethnic minority entrepreneurs. The focus on revitalising the high street, digital skills, and exporting support shows that the government is listening to the needs of small businesses. 

Charlie Shaw, owner of Flock and Herd butchers, said: 

We're proud to pay every supplier on time and once we receive an invoice, so it's fantastic to see the government put the Small Business Plan into place tackling the big issue of late payments. We believe this is a fair and honest way to conduct business. It gives us a clear and current understanding of how our business is performing. Our relationships with our suppliers have been amazing and truly beneficial to all parties. 

Richard Marshall, Founder and CEO of Pall Mall Barbers, said: 

Small businesses are the backbone of the UK economy — and they need access to affordable finance and a fairer tax system to plan and grow. That's why I look forward to working with the Government to drive down costs on the high street, extend business rates relief, and improve access to finance so SMEs can invest, hire, and build with confidence.  

Today's announcement is about backing entrepreneurs with the tools they need to thrive — not just for today, but for the long term. 

Large Businesses  Nick Mackenzie, CEO of Greene King and co-chair of the Licensing Taskforce commented on the licensing response published today. He said:  

As an industry we welcome the licensing proposals and see this as a positive and necessary step towards updating a planning and licensing system that, for too long, has limited hospitality's ability to drive economic growth across the UK. I thank the industry and the Taskforce for the serious and meaningful recommendations that we have put forward to bring these proposals to fruition.

It's encouraging to see how the Government has worked at pace to take forward the proposals, particularly in areas that matter the most, including the introduction of a new National Licensing Policy Framework.

Whilst licencing reform won't offset the significant layered cost of doing business that the industry bears, they form part of wider changes to back the sector, which will support in unlocking opportunities for pubs to further invest in growth across the country.

Steve Hare, Chief Executive Officer at Sage, said:  

Small businesses are the backbone of the UK economy - they drive growth, create jobs, and fuel innovation. But running a small business isn't easy. From rising costs and late payments to time-consuming admin, the challenges are real and persistent. Today's Strategy is a welcome step in the right direction. Giving small businesses better access to finance, helping them break into new markets, and supporting them to adopt the latest technology will go a long way in helping them grow and succeed. 

Leigh Thomas, Vice President EMEA, Intuit, said:  

Today's Small Business Plan is a welcome and much needed initiative for entrepreneurs. Our data shows that with an average of £21,000 owed in unpaid invoices, more than half of our country's small businesses are now facing cash flow pressures. These pressures can quickly escalate, forcing many small business owners to make difficult financial decisions to keep operations running. Improving payment practices will play a key role in strengthening small business stability, creating the conditions for growth. We look forward to collaborating on this to power prosperity for all. 

James Holian, Head of Business Banking, NatWest, said:  

We welcome the Government's renewed focus on tackling late payments for small businesses. This is a long-standing challenge that we know can hold back growth and innovation, and NatWest is proud to have been recognised for several consecutive years by Good Business Pays for being a leading business in making fast payments to our suppliers.  

As a leading lender to UK SMEs, we're committed to playing our part—whether that's through prompt payment practices, tailored financial support, or initiatives like our accelerator hubs - where this year we're aiming to support 10,000 businesses for the first time. Small businesses are the backbone of the UK economy, and we're proud to support them in building resilience and unlocking their full potential. 

Tom Wood, Head of Business Banking, HSBC UK, said:  

We welcome the additional support the Small Business Plan provides, SMEs are key to a strong and resilient economy and we must equip them with the tools to succeed at every stage of their growth journey. It is vital we all work together to deliver long-term, practical solutions, including more transparent and accessible financing to ensure long-term growth and economic stability. Recognising the challenges SMEs face, HSBC UK recently launched the Small Business Growth Programme, providing business owners with resources to help early-stage businesses grow with confidence. 

Wider Civil Society Organisations Terry Corby, Founder and CEO, Good Business Pays, said:  

This is what we have been waiting for. The legislative changes the government are planning to tackle our late payment culture are a game-changer. It is no longer seen as good business practice to be making your suppliers wait for a long time to get paid. At Good Business Pays we have been asking for legislative action for five years and it's great to see these changes to unfair practices being set out in laws. 

Anthony Impey MBE, CEO of Be the Business, said:  

A strategic approach is essential to unlock the huge potential of small and medium-sized businesses, and it's key to driving the country's productivity and growth. The Small Business Plan is an important step in achieving this.  

Business Support Services Nicki Clark, Chief Executive of UMi, said:  

At UMi, we see first-hand the incredible impact small businesses have, but also the challenges they face on a day-to-day basis.  This Small Business Plan, including the launch of the Business Growth Service, is a positive step towards making it easier for small businesses to find and access the support and finance they need to survive and thrive.